Every day, Global University Venturing rounds up the smaller investments from across the university innovation ecosystem in its deal net.
Optimind, a Japan-based travel optimisation software spinout of Nagoya University, has secured ¥1.01bn ($9.3m) in a funding round led by automotive manufacturer Toyota. The round included MTG Ventures and KDDI Open Innovation Fund III, which invest on behalf of digital entertainment provider Modern Times Group and telecommunications company KDDI respectively, as well as an unnamed fourth backer. It will put the cash toward product development, marketing and increasing its staff numbers.
Pepticom, an Israel-based automated peptide drug discovery spinout of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has collected $5m in series A funding from investment firm Chartered Group. Founded in 2011, the company claims its artificial intelligence-driven platform for discovering peptides has greater molecular screening capacity than competing products, helping to uncover new peptide-based drug candidates faster and at lower cost. Chartered Group’s investment will help refine the technology’s performance by introducing new AI models as Pepticom aims to continue its…
